Warriors of Light and Dark
by Icy Cake
Summary: Lunar Knights. The Gate of Binding has opened, however what waited inside was unexpected. Forced to retreat, both Lucian and Aaron must find new strength as well as develop their teamwork in order to face Dumas.
1. The Unwanted Mission

He scowled as he walked for the chirpy little boy, (the so-called "_partner_" of his), continued to talk away despite being ordered to shut up. Ignoring the brat didn't cease the flow of the one-way conversation either; the kid would go on and answer his own questions with his own speculations and opinions when the other did not respond.

And to add to his demise, it was an awfully bright, sunny day with no single cloud in the sky, seemingly making his brat-of-a-partner more joyful than ever. Not only that, the sunlight limited his dark powers to a level that was close to being useless; weakening him to the point where he had to rely on his own physical strength to fight. (As well, he hated to admit, he had to rely on the brat to support him whenever the battles became too tedious. Fortunately though, they were in an area occupied by weak monsters.)

He sighed when they finally found what they were searching for in the Foreground of the former Margrave Rymer's Hunting Mansion.

"This is it!" Aaron exclaimed in excitement as he plucked one of the weed-like plants that grew no where else in the Foreground. To their inconvenience, it _had_ to be growing just in front of the mansion's entrance which meant they had a long way to trek back to Acuna. Twirling the small herb between his fingers, Aaron looked at it closely. "Well… I think this is it. I really have no clue what the medicine we're looking for looks like. But it does look out of the ordinary, doesn't it?" He held out the plant for the other to see.

Lucian, groaning internally at the ridiculous task he was forced to agree to do, grabbed it and looked it over. Before he could conclude anything from it, the herb quickly browned and withered in his hands. "Hmph. This is it all right," he muttered, tossing the dying weed to the ground.

Aaron perked up from the statement and began picking the herbs.

"Hey, it's no use just picking them like that," the swordsman told the ignorant boy in a more-or-less sullen tone.

"Hmm?" The gunslinger perked a questionable eyebrow at him before noticing the quickly dying herbs he held. "Oh… well, how are we supposed to carry them back?" he asked with a frown.

Lucian reached into his item satchel and took out a blue handkerchief he had pilfered from that rabbit-eared Sunflower girl some time ago. "Simple," he began, waving at the boy to move aside. He carefully dug into the soft dirt to uproot the entire plant, (the whole clod of dirt and all), and placed a few onto the piece of cloth. "We're gonna have to make a run for it," he finished as he poured a little water over the dirt clods to keep the roots moist. Then he wrapped it all up in a bundle. Not wanting to soil his items with the muddy thing, he tossed the herbs to the spiky-haired boy.

The younger boy grinned after catching the bundle. "All right! A race to Acuna, then?" he challenged.

A glare was the other's reply.

"What? Come on! I'll race you!"

"Why?" the dark swordsman inquired; rather annoyed by the brat's eagerness to play a stupid game.

"To… make this quest more fun?"

The older boy could only sigh. It was then that the sunflower Light Terrennial chuckled right by Aaron's side. "Might I remind you both that those herbs will wilt if you two don't hurry!" it said, almost sounding amused.

With an aggravated growl, Lucian reclaimed the herbs and bolted away from the much-too-happy pair; hearing a cry of "Wait for me!" coming from right behind him.

Dashing down the cobblestone path, Lucian did not slow down once; even when he had to peer at his map display to scope out the shortest route to the Foreground's exit. Monsters were no problem either. The swordsman simply ran past them, leaving the brat to hopefully deal with them. (The monsters in the vicinity were very weak so the kid wouldn't even have to put any effort into defeating them.)

To his surprise, he did not hear the boy stop to fight but instead could sense the kid right on his tail. Lucian smirked at the gunslinger's tendency to follow his lead without being told. The brat was young but not stupid, fortunately.

They ran non-stop with some monsters giving chase while some others not wanting to bother tiring themselves out. When they passed through the second-last steel gate, Lucian paused in his tracks when he heard the sound of the gate noisily closing just when Aaron entered the area. Just then, the ground before the pair began to come alive with bony hands reaching for the sky.

Panting, Lucian mumbled a curse at the stupid trap the monsters had set up. "I don't have time for this," he snarled at the seven rising Skeletons. Not wanting to waste any time, he drew his sword and turned to the boy who had already brought out his Solar Gun. "You deactivate the trapdoors. I'll handle them," he told the gunslinger as he lunged at the approaching fiends.

He only heard the boy yell out a confirmed answer before seeing him run past the group of Skeletons. Some of the fiends attempted to follow the brat but Lucian gained all their attention by whistling at them. "Over here, you ugly bastards," he taunted; sneering as he attacked first. Vanargand cut cleanly through the bones of the closest monster; instantly felling it. The swordsman followed through with another swing, striking down two more foes while the last swing cleaved three. That left only one Skeleton left.

Where did it go? He had lost sight of it. Then he sensed it: Sharply, he turned around and slashed at the back-attacking enemy before it could get him.

The clattering of shattered bones brought a triumphant smirk to fall upon the young man's lips. Lucian returned his sword to its hold and walked away.

"Look out! Below you!" Nero warned. Without question, the dark swordsman leapt away from where he once stood, seeing a pair of bony hands reaching out of the ground.

"More?!" he hissed in annoyance. Two more Skeletons rose out of the ground – no, _five_ more. They had him surrounded.

Throwing a curse to the side, he glowered at the pests, hefting his weapon in his hands once again. He was about to charge but a sudden flash of golden light striking one of the monsters down had stopped him.

"Lucian! It's open! Come on!"

Silently grateful at the brat's growing quickness to deactivate the traps, the older boy ran through the opening and followed the gunslinger out of the monster infested area.

* * *

Aaron was happy to see the shopkeeper pleased by their successful mission. Their reward for handing the wet, muddy bundle of unbelievably-still-fresh herbs was a strange, green dried-up-looking fruit thing. The clerk informed him that it was called a "Cure Bulb" and it would revitalize the body when eaten. It was disgusting to look at and the thought of eating it made the boy ill to his stomach. However, to his surprise, it had a sweet edible fragrance to it making him think second of it. 

He pocketed the reward after thanking the shopkeeper. (Truthfully, he had expected a money reward so that was why he accepted the old clerk's request and pleaded with Lucian to help.)

After exiting the store, he told the waiting swordsman of the reward and received Lucian's trademark scowl. "All that for a lousy piece of fruit?" the older boy asked in a low growl.

Aaron smiled nervously. "Yeah…" he said, sheepishly. "But hey! It's nice to help people in need. And besides," he continued, cutting in front of the other's reply, "the Cure Bulb will help us when we get tired in battle."

The swordsman only deepened his scowl, forcing the gunslinger to let out an apologetic laugh.

"Well…" the younger boy murmured, reaching into his satchel to show Lucian the reward. "It doesn't look like it'll rot anytime soon like these Earth Fruits – Oh, look: This one rotted already." He tossed one of the said fruits, now a sickly brown colour, into a nearby trash barrel then examined the other edibles he carried. To his dismay, he found all his Solar Fruits, that he bought a day earlier, had all spoiled from the hot, dry temperature. Groaning in disappointment, he dumped the bad fruit in the trash as well.

"What we need is more Soll," the older boy grumbled, crossing his arms. "Upgrading our weapons ain't cheap and your knack for eating as much as _two_ full-grown men a day sickens me."

The gunslinger pouted at the remark. "I do _not_ eat that much!" he huffed, feeling offended. "All our money's going to all our supplies which they so happen become useless after a day…" He mumbled the last part under his breath.

"Hmph. Buy potions instead, idiot," Lucian scoffed, walking away.

"But they don't taste as good," Aaron replied truthfully, glowering from the insult as he followed the older boy. His anger quickly subsided. "Anyway, you want your handkerchief back?"

"Throw it away."

The spiky-haired boy hesitated. "Are you sure?"

When no answer came from the other, Aaron shrugged and reluctantly threw the dirty cloth into the trash then ran to catch up.

* * *

Professor Sheridan was over-ecstatic as always when the two arrived at his mansion in the evening. "Would you boys like to stay for something to eat?" the kooky old man asked them. "Carmilla hasn't prepared dinner yet and it'll take a while until your weapons are complete." 

"No…", "I'd love to!" both Lucian and Aaron answered at the same time respectively.

The swordsman glared at the gunslinger who grinned nervously from the look. "I'm… I'm hungry," Aaron told the older boy in a timid manner. "And we pretty much can't do anything without our weapons so there's no hurry…"

"Whatever, you can stay for all I care," Lucian muttered, turning to leave.

"Where're you going?"

There was a brief pause before the dark swordsman answered with a "Nowhere" and closed the door behind him.

"Hmm, I guess it's just you and me," the professor said with a chuckle. Aaron angrily frowned at the older boy's stubborn attitude but soon smiled at the alchemist's light-hearted laughter.

However, he couldn't help but worry about Lucian. He had never seen the swordsman eat anything ever since joining up with him. Whenever they were staying at an inn, only Aaron would order food while Lucian would only consume drinks. Even when they jumped the train to save Ernest… The gunslinger was surprised that the swordsman would refuse to eat the deliciously prepared meals that sat on the tables after a full day of monster fighting.

_Doesn't that cocky jerk ever get hungry? _Aaron pondered.

The only exception he could remember was when they tried to storm through New Culiacan after opening the Gate of Binding. It was broad daylight during that time and the pair didn't expect the monsters that roamed within to be overwhelmingly strong…

Man, were they wrong. Even with the sun out, the demons they encountered did not seem fazed by the light. Their strength was immeasurable… and he had thought the vampires were tough…

Aaron hardly made any of the monsters flinch when he blasted them with his Solar Guns. With Bea's _Witch_, Sol missiles to the face did almost nothing against a Skeleton Fencer. Just merely scorched it as well as angered it. He had to run away from the fiend since the gunslinger was no good fighting in close combat.

Then there were the archers. Lucian had barked a specific order for the young Guild member to rid of them but Aaron could not obey. That one Skeleton Fencer he angered was furiously trying to kill him. He could not ask the swordsman to help him because his partner was busy battling against two of his own.

The archers… there were three of them. Aaron had tried to stop them from firing their arrows when he saw them ready their bows. They were aiming at the older boy who was too occupied to notice. The gunslinger attempted to take down one but that cursed Skeleton Fencer threw his aim off, causing him to miss.

A warning was shouted towards the unwary swordsman as three arrows flew through the air. To Aaron's amazement, Lucian was quick to bring out his shield to block all three projectiles. However, that distraction was enough for one of the close-ranged monsters to attack the boy's side. Its sword, a well-worn blade, was stained red after cutting through flesh.

Lucian nearly collapsed from the inflicted injury but his overpowering anger allowed him to retaliate with his sword. The fiend that wounded him had its sword-arm cleaved off before its head was severed from the neck.

"Lucian! Retreat!" Aaron heard the cat Terrenial, Nero, command the boy at the same time Toasty shouted a warning to the other.

It was then the gunslinger had regained his attention to the Skeleton Fencer right beside him. The boy leapt away to avoid losing his left arm but still felt the tip of the monster's sword cut into it. He suppressed a pained cry and countered with a blind-shot with _Knight_.

Of course, one energy bullet, charged with the sun's power, did nothing to the powerful fiend. (It was annoyingly impossible for the dark creature to withstand the light!)

The gunslinger quickly brought out his shield to deflect the Skeleton's sword swipes. Unable to move, Aaron guarded against the onslaught but his arm was quickly tiring. Before he exhaustingly dropped his guard, a black blade was thrust into the monster's skull; shattering through bone and killing the demon.

"Damn it, brat! What's holding you?!" Lucian hissed, giving the gunslinger a deep, furious glare. He bared his teeth at the younger boy, truly angry at him.

Before Aaron could muster a reply, the swordsman had already turned around to shield against a volley of arrows. It was noticeable to the gunslinger when the boy's form faltered from the effort before quickly regaining his composure.

Just then, more Skeleton Fencers rose from the ground, replacing the ones Lucian had killed.

"You're too hurt to fight! Retreat _now_, Lucian!" Nero demanded, hovering over the swordsman.

The vampire hunter growled a "No" which resulted in a very angry cat swiping its claws across his ear to change his mind.

"_Listen_ to me! You are not ready to come here! Pull back before you get yourself killed!"

Aaron was quick to agree, "Lucian, he's right! These guys are too much!" The boy had to keep his shield up to guard against the constant rain of arrows. Dread began to sink in when he saw that the group of Skeleton Fencers were almost upon them.

Lucian cursed out loud at no one in particular, realizing the truth in their situation. With an angry roar, he turned abruptly around and headed for the Gate of Binding. Aaron followed suit, running at a slower pace than the wounded swordsman's hindered stride to stay protectively behind. The gunslinger shielded against fired arrows continuously until the pair managed to pass through the stone gate that surrounded New Culiacan. Once they both stepped foot on the other side, the monsters ceased their chase and returned to the ground.

Breathing a deep sigh of relief, Aaron wiped the sweat off his brow, feeling a sting on his arm from performing the action. He frowned at the blood trickling down his forearm, staining his already red glove a deeper shade.

Ignoring it, he ran over to his wounded partner's side, seeing the swordsman fall against the gate wall. Breathing heavily, Lucian leaned along the stone barricade and muttered a curse when he saw the blood that stained his own hands. Nero appeared just as concerned as Aaron when the Terrenial saw the crimson liquid.

The cat flew close to the swordsman, placing a paw upon his shoulder. "Drink a potion, quickly," the Dark Terrenial urged him.

Lucian did not move but instead closed his one visible red eye and formed a little smirk. "Heh… I would… If I had some," he said breathlessly.

Aaron frowned heavily while the Dark Terrenial narrowed his eyes to dangerous slits. "_Fool_! How could you rush in unprepared?!" Nero demanded, his fangs bared and his claws visible; sinking right into the vampire hunter's shoulder.

The swordsman did not flinch nor say a word but remained silent.

"Hey, Lucian," Aaron began, his voice low and quavering. He gave the older boy an apologetic look but, of course, it went unnoticed. "I-I… I'm sorry. I really am! You got hurt because of me… I… I wasn't strong enough to help you and…" The boy trailed off, feeling a strong sense of guilt to fall upon him. There was not much he could say to make up for what he lacked. "I'm… sorry."

Nero returned to his usual calm self and glanced between the two boys, waiting.

When Lucian did not respond, the gunslinger reached into his item bag and pulled out one of his Earth Fruits. "Here, you should eat this," he said, offering the green fruit with an outstretched hand.

The dark swordsman stared at it briefly before forming a look of disgust. Nero was first to speak; "You should listen to him and eat the fruit. It's still a while till nightfall and you should keep your strength up until then."

"Hmph!" was Lucian's only reply and oddly enough, he abided to the Terrenial's words and grabbed the offered fruit in a reluctant manner.

Aaron weakly smiled, having to witness the stubborn fool listen intently to the black, winged cat. The two must be very close friends…

Seeing that Lucian no longer needed to be pestered into being taken care of, the gunslinger joined the other against the gate wall and took out his last Earth Fruit. They ate in silence with all the Terrenials speaking amongst themselves in a circle a few feet away. Aaron could not hear a word they said, but he didn't mind.

He was first to consume the entire fruit first so he decided to rest on the ground. When the other finished, an awkward silence lingered between the two.

"Hey."

Aaron suddenly perked up from the sound of the swordsman's voice, addressing him. Blue eyes stared up at the other, grateful that the silence was broken.

"In order for us to defeat the Duke, we'll need to get stronger… much stronger!" Lucian continued, his tone reflecting a bitter hatred. He lowered his gaze at the younger boy. "You better not chicken out from the training we'll have to do."

Aaron blinked in surprise from Lucian's use of "us" and "we" instead of "I" like he normally would. Then did that mean…?

The young gunslinger formed a wide, confident grin to have the Legendary Dark Swordsman, Lucian, finally acknowledge him as his partner.

"Heh, are you kidding me?" Aaron teased, rising to his feet. "I'm going to train so hard that I'll be the best gunslinger in the Guild! And before you'll even know it, the Duke will be _begging_ before my feet before you even get a chance to fight him!"

Lucian snorted, highly amused at the boy's spirit. "Best gunslinger, huh?" he mused with a tiny smirk. "_Very_ unlikely."

Pouting, Aaron crossed his arms. "Just watch! I'll even surpass my father!"

That made the swordsman's smirk widen to a sneer. "Heh, you truly think so?" he said, his tone sounding almost sarcastic. "I'd like to see that, boy."

Aaron's grin returned despite the harsh demeanor of the other. Having fought alongside the arrogant purple-haired boy for some time now, the young gunslinger had quickly learned all of Lucian's limited emotions. "_Happiness_" was unfortunately not one of them. (The gunslinger had never seen the dark swordsman with a genuine smile. But to see something like that would seem very unnatural…) Aaron had gotten used to Lucian's aggressive way of treating him. Although, hurtful at times, the younger boy would quickly shrug the pain away, knowing that it couldn't be helped.

Whatever happened in Lucian's past had made him who he was now… Aaron really couldn't imagine what could have happened between the dark swordsman and the Duke. Whatever it was, had changed the young man dramatically.

Aaron could remember the words of the Poes before their defeat, claiming that Lucian was neither human nor vampire… And when they met the Duke at the train station…

The boy shook those troubling thoughts away.

Three days had passed since the incident in New Culiacan, and the two have yet to start their needed training. One day was spent healing their wounds, while during the other days they had been seeking for materials to enhance their weapons.

Enhancing each of Aaron's solar guns required a huge amount of junk parts which were conveniently sold in the general store in Acuna. But, of course, buying so much required a lot of Soll… They bought what they could get and so they now had to wait for Professor Sheridan to finish.

As Aaron waited in the supposed "guest room" of the professor's mansion, he counted the remaining Soll he had. The amount he carried was laughable. Perhaps he could ask the Guild to lend him some money… He would have to try tomorrow.

* * *

He ordered his usual drink and sat at his usual table at The Golden Pumpkin. The mysterious Info Broker that he often ran into was filling him in on the current situation at New Culiacan. It was strange though, the girl gave off the same vibe as Sunflower girl. (Much less annoying than the actual Sunflower girl but just as perky.) Nevertheless, she was rather informative, making him doubt that those ears were truly fake… 

"Security's gotten pretty tight ever since you and your little partner opened the Gate of Binding," she said, adjusting her dark glasses. "They'll be expecting you from here on out and I wouldn't be surprised if they have a couple traps lying around."

"Hmph. Nothing I can't handle," Lucian retorted, receiving a smirk from the rabbit-girl.

"Oh, really? Last I heard you almost got yourself killed by the first batch of enemies."

A low growl escaped the young man's throat as he narrowed his eyes at her. "And where'd you hear that?"

Her smile became mischievous. "Oh, around. But don't worry about it. Even the Legendary Dark Swordsman can have trouble fighting an army of enhanced monsters," she teased in an annoying manner.

He was quick to overlook her tone. "Enhanced?" he questioned.

"The Terrenials…" she began, crossing her arms over the table, "the power the vampires had harnessed from them whilst in their possession are being used to create monsters imbued with one of the elements. Then there are other monsters, ones I'm sure you've dealt with before, that are much stronger inside New Culiacan." She leaned back against her chair and raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you know why, right? New Culiacan isn't just there for _anyone_ to enter. Those monsters in there are unaffected by the sun's light due to some unseen barrier. And I'm sure going in there at night is plain suicide. That's really too bad for you, huh?"

Lucian snorted at her last remark. He had already dealt with different elemental foes so there was no surprise to that. Unless, those monsters dwelling within New Culiacan were of a higher rank than what he had fought; possessing power he had never seen… And with numerous demons roaming freely in daylight, unhindered by the scorching sun… that was going to be a major problem.

He formed a deep scowl as the information sank in. Nero had been right; he was not ready to face the Duke yet. He, himself, did not have enough strength to battle a few Skeleton Fencers without tiring and that damn brat hardly even left a mark on them with his solar guns, let alone, couldn't even handle _one_ of the cursed fiends.

They needed to get stronger.

"Hey, want to hear something interesting?" the Info Broker asked, breaking his thoughts. She didn't wait for an answer. "There's a rumour going around about a legendary weapon. See that group of Vulpids behind me?"

Lucian peered over her shoulders, noticing three of the furred aliens drinking at one table at the far side of the bustling bar. (It was once a nearly abandoned pub but with the spreading news of Lucian's vampire killing spree, people were beginning to show their faces in town.) He simply nodded.

"They're the ones that claim that there is a hidden treasure somewhere in Rymer's Mansion. Can you believe that they went inside the creepy place? Anyway, they said they found an old map containing the location of that treasure… that legendary weapon. They tried to search for it, but monsters got the better of them and they ran."

The swordsman stared at her, intrigued by her knack of knowing things so easily. He then became suspicious. "You just heard them talk about it, didn't you?" he asked, watching her reaction carefully.

She visibly flinched and waved her hand frantically. "What? No! It's way too noisy in here. I just heard them the other day–"

"Heh, so those ears are real," he interjected, sneering at the rabbit-girl who was now protesting against his claim. Ignoring her, he rose out of his seat. "I thought Sunflower girl was the only one," he said to her before leaving the table to cross the bar, hoping to see if the map leading to the legendary weapon was true.

* * *

A/N: I hope I didn't disappoint any Lunar Knight's fans. That New Culiacan incident is based on a true story! (Well, except you do not encounter any Skeleton Fencers at the beginning of the place.) I was nearly _slaughtered_ when I ran in there in haste, hoping to complete the game. But, after many failed attempts to kill one single fire dog, I knew I had to leave to level up both characters… Aha. 

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it! Please leave any comments, any suggestions or advice you may have, because I really wish to know how well I did in grasping your attention to this story.


	2. The Legendary Treasure

A/N: Ah, finally, an update! And yes, it's not really a one-shot although I had intended it to. Thanks to those who left a review, I'm truthfully grateful. Here is your long-awaited reward. Enjoy!

* * *

The crescent moon shone magnificently amongst the blackness of night, accompanied by millions of glistening stars. It was a perfect night for a quiet walk down the rocky trail that led to Sheridan's Mansion. Although the air was cool, almost to the point of freezing, Lucian did not mind. 

He took his time for he was in no hurry. Both he and Nero were enjoying the lunar presence in the sky. Bathed in the luminous glow of the silver moon, each could feel their dark strength replenish under its guidance.

The journey was a quiet one with neither saying a word. Thoughts were kept silent for each respected one another's privacy. Although, there really was no need to pry into each other's thoughts since they practically could tell what was on the other's mind by a simple glance.

When the familiar silhouette of Sheridan's Mansion was visible in the distance, Lucian felt a familiar weight settle upon his right shoulder. Nero leaned forward from his perch to give the boy a sideways glance but otherwise said nothing.

The swordsman formed a small smile, one that only the Terrenial was allowed to ever see. Nero was his closest friend and dearest companion. Lucian was most comfortable to speak to the cat than any other being. The feline had once told him that Lucian was like a younger brother. Ever since then, the boy had felt a strong bond form between them that could never break even to this day.

Nero had been by his side for the past seven years, always acting as a guardian as well as a valuable asset to Lucian's dark powers. Without the Terrenial's help, the swordsman would have lost himself to the overwhelming power he had stolen.

The power of darkness… it was incredible…

A daunting evil that he had gained… it had nearly consumed his sanity. Almost driven mad with his own hatred and revenge, the swordsman nearly lost his human side to the power if Nero was not there to aid him. A black eye patch, marked with an ancient seal on the inside, was placed over his left eye to keep the power of darkness under control. Lucian had never taken the patch off since then, fearing at what he would become if he did.

"I'm assuming that you are going to Rymer's Mansion alone," Nero stated more than asked, finally breaking the serene tranquility the night could offer.

Smirking, Lucian shook his head. "No matter how much I'd want to, I just can't let that brat sit around and do nothing. He's good in his skills with the Solar Guns but not good enough," he replied in a truthful tone. His smirk became an amusing sneer. "He wishes to surpass his father… Heh, I'd like to see if he can manage that without failure."

He heard the feline smirk. "And you believe that he will?"

The dark swordsman did not answer but continued to walk at a steady pace, his sneer still evident under the shadows.

Once at the entrance of the large, noble-class mansion, the door swung open and Lucian was greeted by the professor's android maid. Quickly, he averted his gaze away from her and simply nodded as he walked in.

It was fairly lit inside, setting a mood fit for an evening. However, it was hours past midnight, giving the young man the intention that the others had been waiting for his return.

With his eye meandering everywhere but the android, he followed her down the extravagant hall and into the professor's impressive laboratory. Inside the technically advanced machine-filled room was a grey-haired old man slumped over a blinking console, snoring away.

"Professor, Sir Lucian has returned," announced the maid in a monotone, stirring the man awake.

"Hnn – Wha?" Sheridan snorted, blinking wearily through sleepy eyes. He finally noticed the waiting swordsman after stretching his body awake. "Oh! You're back. Want a room to stay in? I haven't quite finished yet."

Lucian was not happy by the news and was overall disappointed. He glowered at the professor. "What? I want them done right now," he demanded.

Sheridan winced from his tone. "But I'm so tired!" he countered, rubbing the back of his neck. "If I work on them now, I might make a mistake." That made the swordsman highly annoyed. When he saw the boy's reaction, the old man gestured to the far table, cluttered with many devices and objects, in the lab. "I _did_ finish upgrading Vanargand and Aaron's Knight. I just need some more time for the rest of the Solar Guns."

The boy's anger quickly dispersed and was replaced by anxiety as he headed to where the weapons lied. Grinning inwardly, he grasped the hilt of his newly refurbished dark sword, pleased by the increased power he could sense within it. The blade had been cleaned and its edge sharpened, making the sword seem new. With little effort, Lucian lifted it to point it skyward before him, seeing his reflection on the sword's smooth surface. He sneered in delight.

"This is… wonderful," was all he could say to thank the alchemist.

Sheridan lightly chuckled, appearing relieved. "Glad you like it. However," he paused, looking over the sword in the boy's hands, "it is still far from its true form."

Upon hearing that, the swordsman smirked and returned the blade to its hold. So the sword had yet to reach its potential. With such power he could already sense from the dark blade, he could hardly imagine what the sword could possess at its ultimate form. That meant Vanargand's power could reach an unbelievable level and would be deemed an unstoppable weapon. The boy was determined to see to it that Vanargand was at its peak when facing Dumas.

He turned to the professor. "What will I need to bring it to its true form?" he asked.

Sheridan merely shrugged. "I really don't know. But I believe I'm getting close to the recipe for it. Just keep bringing me the usual materials and I'll keep experimenting around." He suddenly looked thoughtful. "Hey, if you ever find any adamant, I'll try fusing that with Vanargand."

"Adamant? Where can I get that?" the boy inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Again, the professor shrugged. "It's a rare metal ore that some monsters have in their armour. If I remember correctly, Stoker once fused it with other metals to strengthen armours given to monsters. So likely from them you'll find adamant… By your look, you want to know which monsters, eh? Well, whichever ones wear armour."

"I can only think of Lizardmen."

"Then there you go! They probably have adamant-infused armour so bring some pieces back and I'll see what I can do."

"Hm." Lucian nodded politely to him and grabbed the recently upgraded Solar Gun. "Where's the brat?"

Sheridan suppressed a yawn and pointed to the ceiling. "He's sleeping in one of the bedrooms. Are you–"

"We're leaving right now but we'll be back," the boy interrupted, turning to leave. "Probably in a day or two."

"But won't he need his other weapons?" the professor called after.

"Hmph. No, _this_ is what he'll only need," answered the swordsman, indicating to the Solar Gun in his hand.

* * *

The mirthful feeling of being with his comrades quickly vanished along with his dream when a loud crash startled him awake; causing him to roll off the soft, warm bed and onto the cold, hard-wood floor of the bedroom. Groaning in a tangle of sheets, he half-glared half-winced at the shadowed figure snickering at him in the doorway. 

"Time to go, lazy brat," the boy heard Lucian command with a hint of amusement in his tone.

Snapping out of his sleepy daze, Aaron glowered at the dark silhouette of the swordsman before freeing himself from the numerous covers that draped around him. "Did you just break open the door?!" he demanded, wondering what that loud sound he heard was.

He saw Lucian cross his arms. "No, I slammed it open. Now hurry up. We're leaving." Before the gunslinger could make a response, the swordsman had already disappeared.

Fuming, Aaron looked outside the glass-paned window, seeing that it was still pretty dark out which meant he only had a few hours of rest at most. He was downright grumpy for being aroused awake from his much-needed sleep in such a brutal way.

With a sigh, he quickly placed on his gear and gathered his belongings. He couldn't hold back his urges to yawn when he made his way down the long stairway. He stopped momentarily when he spotted Lucian waiting at the bottom, holding Knight in his hand.

Aaron blinked quizzically as he slowly approached the swordsman. One red eye stared over at him briefly before the look of impatience settled upon his partner's face. The Solar Gun was given with no word followed by a "Let's go" as Lucian headed for the mansion's front door where Carmilla waited.

The gunslinger hesitated. "Hey, what about my–"

"The rest aren't done yet so you'll have to rely solely on that," the older boy answered without looking back. Groaning mostly to himself, Aaron followed the swordsman out the door after giving thanks to the android maid's hospitality and had asked her to relay his thanks to Professor Sheridan.

The bitter cold of night was not a welcomed feeling when he took the first step into the faint moonlight. Being inappropriately dressed for the cold nights the Arid Climate brought made the boy envious of Lucian's seemingly warm coat.

Oh, Aaron really wished he had a coat of his own…

Tired and shivering, the young gunslinger slowly walked to where Lucian was waiting ahead, having already called his Casket Rocket, _Laplace_, to their area.

Curious as to where they were heading, Aaron had to ask.

The swordsman, watching the night sky intently, produced a ragged, folded piece of paper from within his coat's sleeve and gave it to the boy to see. "To Rymer's Mansion," Lucian answered.

Blue eyes widened at the mention of the vampire's name. "_Rymer's_… _The_ Rymer Margrave?" Aaron questioned, a sense of awe suddenly rising as he recalled the legends he had heard before meeting Lucian. "You went in his own home and bested him just like that, right? I can remember all the rumours all about it in Old Culiacan! So why are we heading back there?"

Lucian faced the boy, slightly annoyed by the praise he was getting and nodded towards the paper. "There's a hidden treasure somewhere within the mansion. Supposedly a 'Legendary Weapon.' We're going to look for it."

Aaron's interest piqued after hearing that and with growing excitement, he carefully unfolded the parchment. Squinting in the limiting light the moon gave off, he couldn't make out what was contained on it.

A flickering of lights flashing overhead along with a familiar loud sound of an engine diverted his attention. Suddenly, a strong hot wind began to blow from above, threatening him to loose the vital piece of paper he held. With haste, Aaron tucked it away just as Laplace noisily landed before them.

The ship never ceased the gunslinger's amazement as he happily bounded over to his partner's side on the robotic hand that acted as a platform. The boy was grateful to have such a cool form of transportation.

When they were up in the night sky, Aaron took a gander at the paper once more. The paper was yellow and visibly old in the ship's interior lights.

"Oh, a map," he exclaimed, seeing the fine details of the ancient drawing sketched upon it with dark ink. There were many arrows and strange characters of a language he had never seen. Along side those characters of old was evidence that someone had tried to decipher the words. It was apparently an extremely old map but Aaron could not see how it could relate to Rymer's Mansion. "And this is supposed to tell us that there's treasure in Rymer's Mansion? I don't see how… it looks more like a cavern than an actual building…" He stated the last part truthfully.

He noticed Lucian quietly sighing before shooting a sideways glare at him. "There are ruins under his mansion. Old, ancient ruins that run deep underground," the swordsman explained. "Once we find the entrance to them, that map will lead us to the treasure."

"The treasure… '_Jor-mun-gan-dr_'," the boy slowly read the underlined deciphered word aloud. He pondered at what kind of weapon it could be. It could possible be powerful; strong enough to defeat Dumas easily.

So that explained why Lucian was in a hurry.

"Yes. The Legendary Weapon, Jormungandr." The swordsman sneered, almost taunting. "Getting to it probably won't be easy so you better be ready, kid."

Aaron pursed his lips and gave the older boy a sideways stare. "You should've let me take my other guns."

"Heh. You tend to juggle between them too much for your own good. Perfect your skill with your own Solar Gun instead of struggling with all of them at once."

The young gunslinger slightly frowned at Lucian's tone but nodded at his advice. He had to suppose the swordsman was right; Aaron often carried all his Solar Guns with him. Doing so obviously slowed him down and greatly hindered his movements. Having obtained Ernest's _Dragoon_ just recently, he had a total of four Solar Guns – five if Kay's _Ninja_ guns were counted separately. He couldn't take them all with him; it was impossible to move with so much weight. (And Lucian, that stubborn jerk, wouldn't even _help_ him carry them.) At most, he could carry three: his Knight, Kay's Ninja, and either Witch or Dragoon.

Choosing between the two larger guns was going to be difficult. (He had yet to try out Dragoon and was hoping to get a chance once Sheridan was finished upgrading it.)

Well, since he only had one gun to focus on, he didn't have to worry about which to take with him for now. Freeing his Solar Gun from its holster, Aaron let out a sigh as he looked over the polished barrel. "Fine, fine. I guess more practice with Knight will come in handy. I wonder how strong it is now," the boy pondered with anxiety, pulling the trigger. There was a pleasant click while no bullet came out since it was not powered.

He received a dangerous glare from Lucian. "Don't you do that again," he warned with a growl. "I don't want you to '_accidentally_' shoot down my ship."

Aaron scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "Sorry! I'll be careful!" he quickly apologized. He timidly glanced to the side as he hesitated to ask, "Um, hey. Could we stop by the general store? I need to restock on supplies. Oh, and could you lend me some Soll? I really don't have much left…"

A disgruntled sigh was the other's reply. "Just take one of my potions," Lucian grumbled, steering Laplace down the dark visible mansion below.

The gunslinger pouted in disappointment. "But I hate potions…" he murmured quietly under his breath.

* * *

It did not take long for the pair to discover the entrance to the ruins. Lucian's gathered information had led them deep within the monster infested mansion. Past the chamber where the battle between vampire and hunter had taken place, (evident from the various battle-scars riddled around the room), was a passageway filled with more powerful creatures of the dark. It was obvious that they were protecting something. 

Battle-driven by the sight of monsters radiating an aura more powerful than the ones that guarded the foremost interior of the mansion, Lucian had made short work out of them easily. Although the fiends the two warriors had encountered were incomparable to the demons that lurked in New Culiacan.

While the swordsman fought, Aaron stayed back to provide any necessary cover fire. (But, there was hardly any need for cover fire at the rate Lucian felled the monsters – not that the gunslinger would mind being tired and all from the lack of sleep.) When the last Fire Zombie collapsed before Lucian's feet, the younger boy ran up to him with an admirable smile.

"Rymer was just as easy, eh?" Aaron asked, curious of the battle between the vampire and hunter. Even though he had heard the rumours as well as Bea's tale, the gunslinger wanted to hear the story from the Legendary Dark Swordsman himself.

The purple-haired boy glanced at him sideways in a rather annoyed way. "Hmph. Far easier," Lucian replied, making his way forward. He did not go into any more detail.

His lack of explaining just how "easier" it was fighting a vampire such as Rymer than any ordinary monster made Aaron frown in disappointment. Sighing, the young boy followed the swordsman in silence.

They entered a largely sized room filled with many enormous crates stacked in piles all over. Strangely, they were inconveniently placed on the narrow walkways of the _top_ section of the room. There was apparently a _bottom_ section of the room since there were huge openings on each side of the walkways. What lurked on the bottom floor was a mystery for it was too dark to see anything down below.

It was like a void of darkness… The thought of what could be waiting chilled Aaron's blood completely. For sure he would avoid falling down there as much as possible. However, with the walkways devoid of safety railings, one misstep could be likely if he and Lucian were suddenly attacked by monsters hiding around…

"I can smell traps," Toasty informed the pair after a short examination of the room. He hovered over a black opening. "Be careful you two, one wrong step and you will fall down there… possibly to your death."

The gunslinger gulped at the thought but quickly took a deep breath and shook his fear away. He had to prove to Lucian that he was capable of handling himself. Both ready and wary, the boy glanced over at the other, seeing the swordsman smirk.

"Heh. You heard that? If you fall I'm not coming to save you," the older boy said in a devilish manner.

Aaron crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Ha ha. That's really assuring," he retorted sarcastically. "You know, partners are _supposed_ to look out for each other."

Lucian's smirk turned into an amusing one. "Since when did I agree to you being my partner?" he said, not expecting an answer as he walked away.

That aggravated the gunslinger. He silently glared at the other's back, annoyed by Lucian's reluctance to admit that they were indeed partners. Oh well, it didn't matter. Aaron knew that Lucian really _did _consider him a partner in his own quiet way.

They walked along the narrow pathway, cautiously maneuvering around the many crates to avoid a surprise attack from any monsters. There was no sign of any on the first walkway they passed. They stopped at an intersection.

Aaron was about to suggest a direction to go but soon stopped when he saw the older boy tense and reached for his sword. An audible scuffling noise was nearby; an all-too-familiar scuffling noise. A Hound was near, patrolling the area.

Aaron really despised those dogs. Having been chased around by those ravage beasts back when he tried to help members of the Guild escape from 13th Street may have contributed to his hate for them. And the fact that their teeth were sharp and their bite was awfully painful.

Lucian motioned the young gunslinger to fall back and hide behind a nearby crate. A Hound's hearing was very sensitive and if Lucian had spoken the command it would have heard it. And when fighting a Hound, going head first against it was never a good idea because they were incredibly fast. Large and vicious, the monstrous canine would knock its opponents to the ground easily before tearing them to pieces with their large fangs.

Aaron had always imagined such a scenario where he would be torn limb from limb whenever he encountered a blood-thirsty Hound. Taking the dog by surprise was the key…

Bringing two fingers to his mouth, Lucian whistled loudly before joining Aaron in hiding. There was a series of startled barks coming from two – no, three Hounds – that patrolled within the room. The younger boy carefully peeked around the crate, seeing the three drooling beasts scamper over to the centre of the intersection in search of the whistler.

_Oh man… _three _of them?!_ Aaron felt dread wash over him as he stared at the ugly monsters. There was a tap on his shoulder, bringing his attention to the swordsman. Lucian seemed to glare when he saw the uneasiness in other boy's expression. Aaron quickly shook his fear away and grinned to show that he was all right.

With a slight look of annoyance, Lucian then started to form signals with his hands: He pointed to himself then to the right. He gestured at Aaron then pointed to the left.

The gunslinger nodded; understanding the swordsman's command. Lucian would take the dog on the right side while Aaron handled the left one. That left the middle one, the farthest of the three, a free target. Without hesitating, Lucian ran out and Aaron quickly followed with Knight clutched within his hands.

The retreating beasts were unaware of the two warriors until two of them let out a whine of pain simultaneously, catching the attention of the third. Aaron shot multiple Sol bullets at his angry target, scorching the barking Hound all over its body until it dropped to the ground, unmoving. Quickly, he turned to face the third Hound which was already flying through the air, targeting the closest warrior which was Lucian.

The swordsman was already aware of the beast having finished his first target with one attack. He brought his dark sword around just as he lowered and turned his body to face the lunging monster. Swiftly and cleanly, Lucian swung his great sword upwards when the Hound was about to sink its canines into him. With a pitiful whine the beast flew back and landed with a dull thud in a motionless heap.

Aaron couldn't be more amazed by how graceful Lucian fought no matter how many times he witnessed the teen battle. His swordplay was absolutely flawless and his knowledge of Aaron's solar guns was incredible. Many times the younger boy had been given advice on how to properly wield each of his weapons even though he had never seen Lucian use a firearm before. Nonetheless, the swordsman's advice was pretty helpful in giving Aaron the know-how of each of his solar guns.

They traversed down the centre path with Lucian in the lead. Rounding past the horribly placed giant crate the least expected thing suddenly happened: Lucian stepped onto a trap door.

With a startled cry, the swordsman seemed to disappear in front of Aaron's eyes. Letting out a gasp of horror, the gunslinger dove forward in one quick reaction and grasped the older boy's outstretched hand before the trapdoor could close. Lying on his entire front, Aaron had managed to prevent himself from following the swordsman into the dark hold.

However, it wouldn't be too soon until he would eventually.

Lucian was _heavy_. Being bigger and carrying an enormous sword would contribute to that fact. The young man had a tight grip on the gunslinger so it would be impossible to just allow the purple-haired one to fall. (Not that Aaron was willing to let go of the older boy…)

Thankfully, all the Terrenials appeared by their side to lend some help. Nero dug his claws into Lucian's clothes while the others flew down to push from the boy's feet. Aaron gritted his teeth as he pulled the swordsman with all his strength.

With a strained grunt, Aaron yanked hard to give Lucian the needed lift for him to grab the ledge with his free hand. From there, the swordsman used his own strength combined with Aaron's to escape the hole willing to swallow him up.

Nearly out of breath, the gunslinger fell back in great relief while Lucian, rising to his feet, acted as if nothing happened. But there was a gleam in his red eye that Aaron saw that quickly made the younger boy crack a grin.

"Ironic, huh?" Aaron began after he regained his normal breathing, "What was that you had said about falling before?" He raised his brow in a teasing manner, drawing an intense glare and a sharp huff from the other. Aaron wasn't fazed. His grin actually broadened.

"Oh, shut up," Lucian growled as he stormed past him to return to the intersection.

The gunslinger, still smiling, got back up on his feet and dusted himself off. He bounded after the stubborn young man, hearing the Terrenials give warnings of other possible trapdoors. Aaron rolled his eyes when he saw Lucian wave his hand at them in annoyance as he strode down the next path without a care.

Sighing, Aaron caught in step behind the purple-haired boy just in case he fell again.

* * *

A/N: Did you know that you can actually ignore those holes by _running_ over them? Why need to tread carefully? You can just sprint over the deadly trapdoors! 

So, how did you all enjoy this chapter? I would love to hear what you liked or disliked and how I can improve. Please tell me! Otherwise, I hope you all enjoyed it.


	3. The Guardian of Jormungandr

A/N: Ack, it's been a while, has it not? Many apologies to those who were waiting; I became more focused on my other stories. Again, I'm sorry. But hopefully, this update will cheer you up! It's been a while since I last played Lunar Knights, so a few things might seem out of place... But not too much, hopefully!

Now enjoy!

* * *

The first thing Lucian noticed after what seemed like an eternal ride down a descending platform was the increasing heat in the rushing wind. Similar to the days during the Arid Climate, the heat was increasing the farther the platform took them. 

"Ugh… it's hot," he heard the brat whine in the darkness. Lucian could barely make out the kid's form in the pitch black tunnel the platform traveled quickly through.

The swordsman snorted. "Hmph. We've gone down pretty far," Lucian muttered.

Before long, the platform slowed its descent and red light began to show from the bottom. As well, extremely hot air came by them.

Lucian was quickly drenched in his own sweat at the unbelievable heat. He was practically suffocating! He made a quick glance at the other, seeing that Aaron was fairing no better.

When the platform stopped at the bottom, Lucian was blinded by the bright glow of _lava_ flowing freely all around. Now _that_ completely explained why it was so damn hot!

Aaron fell to his knees at the unbearable temperature, panting heavily as sweat dripped from his brow. Lucian growled at the boy's easy defeat but was quick to call Ezra for aid.

The Ice Terrennial appeared instantly. Noticing the situation she acted in haste. "Be strong!" she cried. She closed her eyes. Wavering blue energy emerged from her body then flashed with white light.

Lucian flinched at the light but soon felt a pleasing cold wind sting his face. When he opened his eye, he saw the Terrennial glowing with energy to keep a visible transparent bluish sphere around both boys.

"Thanks, Ezra," Aaron breathed in relief when he could no longer feel the intense heat of the lava.

"Are you two all right?" she asked, her tone sounding strained with effort.

Lucian nodded and the gunslinger smiled.

"Yes, thanks to you," the brat answered but his smile soon faded into a worried expression. "But what about you? It seems to take a lot of your power to keep this barrier up."

Ezra lightly laughed. "Indeed… it does."

"Don't worry about her!" Tove chimed in as he appeared. "We will give Ezra our power when she needs it."

Lucian frowned at that. "Then we should hurry and find the Legendary Weapon," he said, taking out the old map. After a brief glance, he furrowed his brow in frustration. "Bah. It's as good as useless," he grumbled. The ancient map was obviously different from the real thing. The cavern was deep in the earth after all. Centuries of ever-shifting magma and lava had transformed the cavern into a completely new area.

With a furious huff, the swordsman crumpled the paper and shoved it in his pocket in haste. "Let's just explore the damn thing. For sure, the weapon would be around the northern chamber… that is, if it's still there."

The gunslinger pouted. "That's not really assuring…" he murmured. A red-eyed glare was sent in the boy's direction, causing Aaron to smile timidly. "Uh, I mean, I hope it's there so this isn't a waste of time!" the young Guild member corrected in a highly sarcastic tone.

"Both of you; do not stray far from each other," Ezra warned, her eyes stern. "I can only maintain a barrier of this size without exerting too much of my energy."

Aaron nodded, giving a smile to the Terrennial then a grin to the older boy. "Looks like I'll be doing all the monster hunting," he teased.

Lucian rolled his visible eye in annoyance and made is way down the single path of rock that was not submerged in glowing lava. Of course, the winter fox barked at him to wait for the brat. In pure reluctance, he grumpily obeyed and slowed his pace.

The Legendary Dark Swordsman was feeling highly anxious with the hostile area. Lava practically surrounded them and the only way through were mere solid rocks that jutted out of the molten earth. Jumping from rock to rock was a risky deal – one misstep and for sure they would be dead in no time flat. Hell, the need to 'ride' a free flowing platform across massive pools of molten rock did not help ease the anxiety of their situation.

Damn it all… why did it have to be _lava_?!

What made their journey worse than it was were the monsters that lived in the cavern. Obviously, fire-based creatures inhabited the underground. From fire-breathing Hot Dogs to tiny floating bubbles of flames – everything was just out to get them.

Now what could be far worse than having groups of monsters attack at once?

Having no control of the battle as well as having no room to fight. Every path they followed was narrow or a small section of rock. Lucian was deemed the back-up of the two. He could not leave the barrier so Aaron did all the damage. But whatever… The swordsman quietly smirked as he watched the gunslinger shoot down the enemies with such accurate aim. Charged with the power of ice, the boy's cold blasts knocked down most foes easily. The only beasts that were troublesome were those damn hounds.

Aggressive and awful, those fiery dogs were a real pain. Even with shards of ice piercing their hides, those hounds would still stand and attack. A group of two nearly broke through Lucian's guard after Aaron failed to stop them from a distance. Those beasts didn't even have to_ worry_ about falling in lava.

After one of the beasts spewed fire at him, the swordsman side-stepped and retaliated with a swift slash of his ice-powered blade. That swing felled the first beast which left one more. However, he was not ready for the second one. It had already lunged at him before he knew it, passing the barrier and knocking him roughly to the ground. Lucian couldn't hold back a cry when he felt searing hot fangs bite into his right shoulder.

Pain surged through his entire body for an instant before the beast jerked its ugly head away when Aaron fired point blank shots at its face. The Hot Dog howled in agony. It attempted to inhale its breath for a fiery attack but the gunslinger shot Ice bullets right into its gaping mouth, instantly killing it.

Seething with both anger and pain, Lucian was already in a sitting position when Aaron knelt beside him. "Lucian! A potion!" the boy cried, handing the swordsman the potion he was given earlier.

The swordsman smacked it away. "Keep it," he snarled through clenched teeth. He pulled one of his own potions out and downed it quickly. For a moment he did not move, waiting for the potion to take effect.

The hot pain slowly disappeared when the potion finally worked. Satisfied, he roughly got up as he ignored the throbbing in his shoulder. The wound had yet to fully heal but it would eventually with the potion's aide.

The gunslinger was frowning at him. "Lucian –" he began.

The other swiftly walked past. "I'm fine. Let's go. Stop wasting time," the swordsman commanded, annoyed by the brat's constant concern. Really, why did the boy have to worry so much about him? It was irritating.

He heard the young gunslinger follow closely behind which was rather a relief – he did not want Ezra to yell at him again. Passing many hazards and overcoming more fiery beasts that did not held as much of a threat as those fire hounds, the warriors succeeded in reaching what seemed to be the final area.

The place was a rounded cavern with lava falling from either sides and into a pool of molten rock. The ground the warriors stood on ended in a crescent shape to the basin of lava. There were no other signs of solid rock or ground for them to move on. Have they reached a dead end?

Lucian gritted his teeth in a furious manner. He scanned the entire area in hope of finding an alternate route. He did _not_ want to return to the surface empty-handed. The time and effort trekking through the hellish place would be stupidly wasted!

"Look! Up there!" Aaron suddenly exclaimed, dabbing a finger over the pool.

Lucian's anger dwindled slightly from the boy's outburst as he squinted across the wavering heat, seeing a ledge and a dark opening that was possibly another area. It was definitely out of reach, however, much to the swordsman's distaste.

"It is too far and too high for you both to reach," Nero explained with a slight frown. "It's impossible."

Lucian scowled and crossed his arms in thought. "There must be another way," he grumbled. "We've come this far. I don't want to leave without finding what we came for."

"But Lucian," the cat Terrennial began to protest, "There's no way to – what?!" Nero was suddenly cut off by a loud roar coming from the pool of lava before them.

Both warriors immediately readied their weapons when the lava pool began to bubble viciously. Soon a large bulge formed as something was surfacing from the depths of molten rock. With caution, Lucian pulled the gunslinger with him to back away from the pool's edge.

Hot, molten rock splattered everywhere as a fiery creature emerged. First, Lucian saw a lion's head then its mane of fire followed by its bright, glowing body. Its burning paws stepped onto the crescent land, smoldering the ground underneath it with its intense body heat. A long tail whipped behind it, its end flaming brilliantly. Lava dripped from the beast's body, melting the ground it touched.

It was obviously a guardian and when there was a guardian, there was something valuable or important nearby. That meant the Legendary Weapon was really behind the beast, high atop that ledge past the open pool of hot lava. How to get there was something to think about later.

The guardian had to be dealt with first. The lion's bright red eyes fell on the two boys and it gave a mighty roar that resounded throughout the entire cavern.

Lucian flinched from the horrid sound, tensing at the ferocity of the flaming beast. The lion was going to be one hell of a monster to beat. With their handicap, Lucian was not too confident that they would be able to survive…

They had to split up, it was impossible to fight the lion head on when the warriors were stuck together.

Quickly, the swordsman glanced at the younger boy, seeing the brat tremble with fear as he held his precious gun tightly within his hands.

_Damn kid…_ The brat was shaking.

"Aaron!" Lucian barked, catching the gunslinger's attention. "You stay far and keep shooting Ice bullets at it! I'll take it head on!"

"Are you insane?!" the kid cried in horror. "It's –"

Lucian snorted. "Just _shoot_ the damn thing!" he growled. Not wanting to hear another word from the brat, he ran out of the Ezra's protective aura. "Alexander! Infuse me with… your power!" he yelled, nearly choking at the last words.

The heat was incredible!

The moment he stepped out of the transparent blue sphere, it felt as if he stepped directly into a burning fire. It was extremely difficult to breathe and very hard to see with the air shimmering constantly from heat. Lucian staggered from the intense conditions, barely able to maintain himself.

Alexander acted quickly. "I will do my best to protect you, Lucian," the Wind Terrennial spoke by his ear, his tone assuring. Gusts of wind surrounded the swordsman, slightly making the conditions more suitable. It was still awfully hot but at least Lucian could marginally breathe better.

He felt Vanargand's power increase with Alexander's element. He rose to his feet just as the lion began to advance on him.

Lucian cursed; he wasn't ready!

Before the beast drew close it was struck on the side by shards of ice. The lion quickly turned towards the one who attacked it and angrily roared. It lunged straight for the younger warrior.

_Good… that's how you do it_… Lucian silently praised the boy. (He would never actually say it out loud.) With Aaron diverting the lion's attention, it gave the swordsman the perfect chance to attack. In this battle, Lucian had the most disadvantage and needed the gunslinger's help, (though he would never admit it). He saw the boy move while firing his shots at the advancing beast. The lion was visibly irritated but it did not seem to have sustained much harm.

Lucian bared his teeth as he hastily wiped the sweat dripping down his forehead. He held his powered blade tightly within his hand and charged at the beast's exposed flank. It was difficult to run; no matter how strong the wind blew, the extreme temperature was still affecting him. His body felt heavy and his movements were sluggish.

The lion launched itself at Aaron whom deftly dodged to the side. However, the beast recovered quickly and lunged again. The gunslinger was forced to draw out his shield. Due to the guardian's size and immense strength, the brat was easily knocked onto his back.

"Lucian, hurry!" Alexander urged the other. The swordsman drew a quick breath and mustered all his remaining energy to quicken his pace. Just as the beast was about to take a swipe at the fallen boy, Lucian leapt forward and thrust his blade with all his might into the lion's shoulder. The guardian let out a howl of surprise, its red eyes blazing with rage as it turned to see its new attacker.

Lucian could _feel_ the heat coming off the guardian when he neared it. The instant he pierced his sword into its tough, glowing hide, Vanargand became too hot to hold. Before it could burn him, Lucian released his hold on his sword and received a backhanded swipe from the lion's paw.

He flew an uncertain distance away and landed roughly onto the hard rocky surface. The beast had stricken his very chest where it burned with searing pain. The very flesh of the beast was incredibly hot and that short contact was enough to burn through Lucian's clothes.

Cursing under his breath, Lucian cringed at the burn he had received from his carelessness. He was breathless; the heat was exhausting him and it hindered his recovery. Through effort, he struggled to get up. His back seemed hotter than the rest of his body and when he took a quick glance behind him, he found that he was near the lava pool's edge. (He was rather fortunate for not falling _into_ there.)

Just barely on his own two feet, Lucian saw that the lion was still focusing on him despite the gunslinger constantly shooting at it. The guardian was running at him with its pure white fangs bared into a snarl.

Lucian was weaponless – Vanargand lay on the ground where the beast had tossed it. The only thing he could do was guard.

"Lucian!" he heard Nero cry before sensing the cat upon his shoulder. It was then the guardian hit his shield. It had lowered its head and smacked the metal barrier with incredible force, sending the swordsman flying into the air.

He flew some uncertain distance before his back struck something hard, sending a jarring pain throughout his body. Then he felt himself fall. A strong wind began to blow below him. Alexander's voice broke through his disoriented mind, "The ledge! Grab it!"

His hand moved automatically before his mind actually registered what the Wind Terrennial was saying. His hand scraped against rough, warm rock just as he managed a strong grip onto it. Wearily, he opened his eye to see that he was holding himself up on the one ledge Nero had thought was impossible to reach.

The first thing he did was sneer mockingly at the hovering cat who was peering down at him with worry. When Nero saw the look on the boy's face, the feline formed a questionable glare.

Without a word, Lucian heaved himself onto the ledge through sheer willpower since his body had grown tired and weak. Panting heavily, Lucian gave one final glance down at the battle beyond the lava pool, catching the gunslinger's nod, before rushing into the cavern.

* * *

Aaron flung himself to the side just as the lion's claws swiped at where he once stood. The boy rolled to his feet and dashed away from the large beast to gain distance. He twirled around quickly, firing a barrage of Ice bullets at the lion's face as it headed straight for him again. 

Again, the gunslinger evaded the beast's frontal attack and resumed the same procedure. However, the lion did not rush at him after he got away. The beast instead roared angrily and dug its front paws into the solid rock underneath it. Aaron, not letting the opportunity to pass, kept firing his Solar Knight at the fiery monster.

The boy was frustrated that the beast did not seem injured by his blasts. Wherever an Ice bullet struck the lion, the beast's flesh would turn gray, like rock, for a moment before it resumed its hot glow. Was he doing any _damage_ to the monster? He definitely could not tell. The lion used to flinch from his shots but now it completely ignored them.

Aaron charged up the next shot. He needed to deliver more hurt to the lion with each attack. The boy wanted to take care of the lion before Lucian would return. He did not want the older warrior to suffer anymore injuries.

That stubborn idiot just _had_ to show off, didn't he?

It was obvious that the extreme temperature was too much to fight in and yet Lucian still took the battle into his own terms by drawing the beast's attention mainly to him.

_Selfish jerk!_

No… Aaron was wrong to accuse Lucian of that… Lucian was only –

"Aaron! Look out!" he heard Toasty suddenly cry out, snapping the boy's focus back onto the beast. He accidentally fired his shot without aiming and the large Ice bullet slammed into the cavern wall instead of its intended target.

The lion had opened its large maw. There was an orange glow coming from the back of its throat. Soon an orb of swirling fire gathering before the beast's opened mouth.

Aaron knew what was to come. He cursed and dove to the side just as the lion released its fiery attack. A large glowing beam just barely missed him… or so he thought. Even though the beam did not hit him, the flaring energy from the attack was enough to cause harm.

The blast penetrated through Ezra's protective sphere and Aaron felt an intense heat swallow up his left arm. Soon, hot pain followed right after, causing the boy to fall over with grief after he landed safely away from the explosive impact of the lion's attack. His ears rang from the loud noise. For a brief moment, the blue aura that surrounded him shimmered then disappeared before reforming again. Aaron had broken into a heavy sweat at the moment the barrier disappeared.

The gunslinger gritted his teeth as he suppressed a cry when he tried to move his stiff, hurting left arm. He took a quick look at it and scrunched his face with dread. His forearm, from wrist to elbow, was singed and bleeding. It pained him to move his arm fully but he had no choice in the matter; the lion was roaring for having missed its target. Red eyes, glowing with rage, pierced right into his very soul.

Aaron was trembling… he couldn't quite understand why. He had fought many monsters and he had faced the Vampires! So why was he so frightened now?

He was weak… that was why.

His Solar Knight was hardly hurting the damn monster.

Toasty appeared in his view. "Don't just sit there, Aaron! _Move_! It's coming!" he warned, dabbing his leafy appendage at the advancing beast.

Aaron growled in frustration, his hand tightly gripping on his solar gun. When the lion leaped into the air, Aaron rolled off to the side and onto his feet in a quick manner, trying his best to ignore the burn.

He immediately charged his weapon as he ran and once it was complete; he twirled around on his heel and fired at the pursuing monster. The icy blue blast pelted the lion head-on, surprisingly knocking it over. It fell onto its side but was quickly on its feet. Ice had nearly covered its entire face, much to Aaron's pleasure. Revenge was rather sweet.

The boy readied another shot as the beast clawed at its face to melt the ice. He fired the instant it was charged and struck the lion's stone-colored face. It was sent sprawling once again.

A sneer of triumph found its place on Aaron's lips as he prepared another shot. The lion roared furiously and ran amok in blind fury. It did not bother to free the ice that covered it and instead zigzagged all over the place, making it hard to target.

The lion scraped against the cavern wall, rebounded, then stumbled into the pool of lava and disappeared under the surface. "That's not good…" Ezra whispered, her voice weary. "It will be able to heal itself!"

"What?! No!" Aaron exclaimed. All his previous confidence melted away.

"Aaron, stand back!" Toasty cried just before a familiar roar shook the cavern walls.

The boy jumped back just as the lion emerged from the molten pool in a dramatic leap. It landed soundly with a thud with molten rock dripping from its renewed glowing flesh. The fiery mane of the beast was flaring wildly, reflecting the lion's anger.

Aaron stiffened, uncertain of how to continue fighting the beast. He had to make the best of it… Was that what Earnest would say?

Yeah, Aaron had to face the lion and use everything he had.

But the lava pool… The monster could just jump back in to heal itself constantly.

The boy cursed in frustration both mentally and verbally.

_I can't fight it alone_… He needed the dark swordsman's help!

"_Ezra_!_ Imbue me with your power_!"

Lucian's voice resounded within the cavern before Aaron even saw the swordsman drop onto the unwary lion's back with a long-shafted weapon. It looked much like a spear from what Aaron briefly saw. The very end of it pierced through the lion's body and into the ground underneath it from Lucian's incredible strength. The swordsman landed beside the flailing beast and quickly stepped away.

Before then, Ezra had already disappeared from the younger warrior's side and exposed him to the choking heat.

Alexander soon took over Ezra's place and provided a windy barrier that did not repel the heat but at least made it easier to breathe.

The beast released a pained cry and collapsed on the spot. It growled and snarled, trying to free itself from the metal stake that held it. Its movements were feeble; Lucian had injured it greatly just from that one attack.

"Finish it!" Lucian commanded the younger boy, his voice hoarse.

Without hesitating, Aaron called for Ezra's power and charged up his gun. His blast struck the weakened monster's face and soon ice formed all around its head. Its fiery mane smoldered weakly and its body began to lose its glow. Before long, all the flames extinguished and the lion had turned into stone where it soon crumpled away into rubble.

Aaron breathed a deep sigh of relief as he fell to his knees. Lucian, however, staggered and fell.

Startled, the gunslinger hurried to the other boy's side and realized that Lucian was highly exhausted. He was breathing heavily and must have fainted. "He needs to cool down," Nero spoke of the boy, hovering over the fallen warrior. "Aaron, dump some water over him."

"Huh?" the boy uttered. It was rather a surprise to have the cat suggest such a thing. "Well… okay." He was reaching for his water canteen with his good hand when Lucian's muffled voice stopped him.

"_Don't_ you even dare, you little brat."

Aaron pursed his lips into a pout. "Nero told me so, so I better do it," he replied with a mischievous grin, canteen in hand.

Lucian slowly rose and managed to sit on the ground, slumping forward. The gunslinger saw the boy's wound – a burn upon his chest from the lion's paw. He gave Aaron a weary glare before snatching the canteen out of the younger boy's hand. He took a big gulp from it and tossed it back. With a sigh, the swordsman brushed a hand through his damp hair and looked through the blue aura and at the pile of rocks that used to be the lion.

The spear Lucian had used remained erected within the pile while his sword was lying just off to the side. Aaron became excited. "That spear is the Legendary Weapon?" he eagerly asked. "Man, it's so strong! You ran it through that annoying monster! And you _jumped_ across that pool? Amazing!"

"Hmph," Lucian snorted in response. "It's a lance," he corrected the boy, his one eye narrowing at the weapon. "It has the same dark properties as Vanargand… It's an ancient weapon." He slowly shook his head. "Why would they hide it down here though?"

Aaron cocked his head to the side. "Who?" he asked. The boy only received a sideways glare and no answer.

"Let's get outta this damn place," Lucian growled, avoiding the question. He unsteadily heaved himself up. "We found what we came for. I've seen enough lava."

The gunslinger nodded, rising to his feet. He flinched when he moved his injured arm and Lucian took notice of it. "It got you, huh?" the swordsman scoffed, raising an eyebrow. "You should've kept moving." That made Aaron glower at him. "You still have that potion?"

"Yeah," the spiky-haired boy answered grumpily.

"Then take it, stupid. It'll heal that burn."

Aaron snorted. "You should take yours as well," he returned evenly. "That burn looks pretty nasty, eh?"

Lucian rolled his one visible eye. "I'll be fine. Hurry up." He slowly made his way to his lance and Aaron followed so Ezra could protect them both.

As Aaron searched through his satchel for his potion, he found something else more pleasing. "Want to try the Cure Bulb?" The young Guild member pulled out the dried fruit and split it in half. He took a small nibble and was surprised at the sweetness of it. "It's good! Tastes just like an Earth Fruit! We should buy more of these!" He stuffed his portion into his mouth and offered the other half to Lucian. "Here! Try some!"

The swordsman pried the dark lance free with both hands and scowled at Aaron's words. He then wrinkled his nose when he saw the portion of the Cure Bulb being offered to him. "You expect me to eat that? Disgusting."

"It's not disgusting, it's delicious!"

"Hmph. I don't care what it is. I'm not touching it." Lucian propped the lance over his shoulder and headed straight for his sword.

Aaron shrugged and ate the rest of the bulb with a smile as he followed. Lucian was really missing out on the good things.

* * *

A/N: The guardian lion is not actually in the game; it was something that I placed to make the Legendary Weapon rather important. I mean, come on, who would leave such a powerful weapon in a treasure box, unguarded? It had to be protected. After all, it was Rymer's treasure. 

So how did you like the update? Was it satisfying? Disappointing? Crappy? I'd love to hear how it was. Give me some motivation and maybe I'll be able to update faster! ;)


	4. Ghost Hunt

A/N: Oh dear, it's been so long! I had a sudden urge to update this story so I managed to finish this chapter despite my claim that it was on hold. I do apologize for the long wait. Managing multiple ongoing stories is difficult.

Anyway, enjoy the latest chapter!

* * *

Aaron, feeling guilty and anxious, looked rather bashful as he waited for Bea's answer to his question.

The woman raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Eh? What happened to all yours, kiddo?" was her reply.

Grinning sheepishly, the young gunslinger nervously rubbed the back of his head as he said, "Well… I – We spent all our Soll on weapon materials and supplies."

The older Guild member raised her eyebrow even higher and formed a smirk. "By 'supplies' you mean 'food', don't you?"

Aaron pouted and shook his head. "No, I mean _supplies_! _Necessary_ supplies! _Healing_ supplies!" the boy tried to clarify.

Chuckling softly, the woman smiled at the younger one's answer. However, she soon shook her head with a slight frown. "I'd like to lend you some money but our funds are running a little low because of the preparations we're doing to enter New Culican."

"New Culican?" Aaron exclaimed in surprise. "I thought you guys weren't going in until Lucian and I make a distraction first."

"That's still the plan. Right now we're doing recon work – mapping out the areas we can reach and investigate without being detected and listing the type of monsters that guard the inside," Bea explained. Her expression became serious. "After what happened to you and Lucian we decided that we should do whatever we can to lend you guys a hand. We don't want you guys killed… so we're doing everything we can before you two are ready to take out the Duke."

The young gunslinger smiled warmly at the news. "Thanks, Bea."

She waved a hand at him. "Don't thank me, kiddo, thank everyone. Everyone here is willing to help bring an end to the Vampires' reign of terror. If anything, we owe you and Lucian – Where is he, by the way?"

"Lucian? He's… I think he's waiting outside."

The woman pursed her lips. "Oh? Now why doesn't he come in and say hello?"

Once again, Aaron rubbed the back of his neck and let out a short, humorless laugh. "Ah, well, I was supposed to get some money and head right back out so we could start training with our upgraded weapons." He gestured to Knight's holster strapped to his hip. Frowning, Aaron wanted to ask again to make sure: "So the Guild doesn't really have any money to lend?"

Bea let out a sigh and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Aaron. Money's real tight right now. We're also rebuilding the Guild." Then an idea lit up her face. "I know! If you're desperate for cash why not help out one of our clients? We're short on manpower right now so how about helping with a few missions around here?"

The boy hesitated on a decision, knowing for sure that Lucian would _not_ like the idea of doing another 'pointless' mission. Especially if their payment didn't consist of Soll. "Hmm… I guess we can take a few jobs," Aaron mumbled.

Noticing his hesitation, Bea added: "I'm sure some of the clients will pay Soll if you request it."

That brought a wide grin on the boy's face. "Okay, then. We'll do it!"

"Great! Thanks, Aaron! Just talk to Jenn and she'll hook you up with a client," explained the woman as she dabbed a thumb towards the stairs that led to the Guild's main office room. Files, blueprints, maps – practically everything that was on paper or recorded as data was stored and organized in that one huge room.

Bea smiled as she started to leave. "I'm off to rendezvous with Earnest. So be careful, all right? May the Sun be with you!"

She was out the door just as Aaron waved good-bye.

Taking a deep breath, the boy let out a sigh. Lucian probably wasn't going to be happy, hearing that they had another mission to help someone in need.

_Well, that's too bad!_ the boy thought with a little smirk. If it was the only way to make money fast then they had no choice but to do it.

Turning towards the office, Aaron was suddenly stopped short when someone appeared right before him. Startled, he let out a yelp and stumbled backwards.

"Oh! I'm very sorry!" the person quickly apologized. She was a young woman, possibly the same age as Bea. A Guild member too. Aaron had seen her around a couple times but never got her name. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to ask you something, if that's okay?"

Aaron straightened, regaining his composure. "Oh? Uh, sure!"

"Well, I overheard your conversation with Bea," she began, fidgeting with her red gloved hands. "So I have a favour to ask of you… Um, will you do an assignment for me? I will pay you 300 – no, 500 Soll if you do."

Shock was Aaron's immediate response. Normally an older Guild member would never request help for a mission from a younger one. But now that Aaron was well-known within the Guild thanks to the defeat of some of the most wicked Vampires, he had to suppose that his reputation was finally catching up to him.

The boy broadly grinned. He was nearing his goal of being the best gunslinger in the Guild!

However, 500 Soll was hardly much now that Professor Sheridan required more parts to upgrade Aaron's Solar Guns and Lucian's dark weapons. And not to mention the number of healing and recovery items they needed to survive in monster-infested areas.

"Uh, well… 500 isn't really enough," Aaron hated to say. He didn't want to sound selfish.

"Then how about 1000? 2000? Would that be good?" the Guildswoman offered.

"2000?!" the boy exclaimed, surprised at the sudden dramatic increase.

She nodded. "Yes. I'll pay you 2000 if you do this assignment for me."

"Is it the Guild's money?"

"No, it's my own savings."

Aaron quickly shook his head. "I can't take that…" he told her with a frown. Taking her savings would be stealing!

"Don't worry!" she assured him. "It'll be more useful to you than to me. And you _are_ desperate for Soll, aren't you?" She raised a blonde eyebrow.

"Err, yeah…"

"Then why not lend me a hand? Bea assigned me on a ghost hunt but I'm far too busy rebuilding the Guild. So will you go in my stead?"

"Ghost hunting?" the boy questioned, rather curious. That sounded kind of fun. Maybe hunting ghosts would be good for training. Aaron was itching to try out Dragoon and he knew Lucian wanted to test out his newly acquired weapon, Jormungandr, on some more monsters.

The Guildswoman adjusted the goggles she wore as she explained; "Frightened witnesses claim to have seen a scepter in the sewers of Old Culican. From the number of sighting reports in the past few weeks, I believe it does exist. It's been giving folks a scare in the middle of the night."

Aaron couldn't quite comprehend it all. "Who hangs out in the _sewers_ at night?" he had to ask.

The woman laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows! Reports have been anonymous."

"Well…" Aaron began before he heard the entrance door open. Glancing over, the boy immediately flinched at the sight of a frustratingly impatient Lucian. Turning back to the woman, the gunslinger said in haste; "A-All right! I'll get right on it! Thanks!"

He left her without hearing her reply as he met up with Lucian halfway to the door. Ignoring the older boy's glowering red eye, the gunslinger cheerfully said: "Guess what? We have another job to do!"

* * *

Lucian was in a somewhat bitter mood as he traversed through the foul depths of Old Culican's sewers.

He was expecting the brat named Aaron to _borrow_ money from his guild, _not_ be forced to earn it.

Reluctant at first, Lucian was not overwhelming with joy when the damn kid informed him of their new job.

Well, times were tough, the swordsman had supposed, the attack on the Guild had left considerable amount of damage to headquarters so there was obviously no spare money to lend. Adding to that, the brat provided a decent explanation as to why they should take on the task of hunting a single ghost.

The only good point was that it was extremely good pay: 2000 Soll for the destruction of one stupid ghost? Now that was absolutely a deal.

The boy also mentioned how they could 'train in the sewers as they hunted the ghost.'

An ignorant assumption… Monsters that dwelled within the vile place were nothing more than disgusting rats, putrid slimes, pesky bubbles, dumb ghouls, annoying bats, and ugly venomous spiders. There were a few lonely Hounds but they were easy to take down by surprise. None of the creatures were good enough to put up a fight.

How were they supposed to train on weaklings?

Another point Lucian hated was the fact that they were in the stinking sewers _again_. To lessen the awful stench of the wretched place, the swordsman had commanded Sheridan to alter the climate to Frigid Arctic. It was cold in the sewers now; his breath was visible and there appeared to be thin layers of ice forming on the surface of the murky waters.

Feeling cold was hardly an issue with Aaron practicing with his Solar Weapon, _Dragoon_.

Powered with Ursula's element, the boy spewed hot, orange flames at a line of Frost Ghouls, decimating the weak monsters instantly. All that remained of their enemies were smoldering piles of ash.

Aaron wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his gloved hand and moved his goggles back on top of his head. "Phew!" he sighed wearily, adjusting the large flamethrower and its thick strap so it was on his back. "Man, Dragoon's heavy!" he groaned, rotating his arms.

Lucian snorted. "What'd you expect from something as big as you?" he questioned.

The gunslinger broke into an amusing laugh. "Ernest doesn't look like it but he must be really strong since he uses Dragoon all the time!"

"It takes a lot of strength and skill to use it properly," the swordsman commented, moving past the remains of their former enemies. "And you need to be wary of your solar energy," he added, facing the younger boy with a stern eye. "Dragoon consumes more of your solar energy than any other weapon. You wasted a lot in that last attack."

"It's hard to gauge how much I'm using," was the gunslinger's honest reply. "But don't worry! I'll get used to it after some more practice!"

With that, Aaron ran ahead in search of more targets to fry. Lucian smirked at the kid's enthusiasm and silently followed, propping Jormungandr over his shoulder as he walked along the sewer's pathways. He left Vanargand behind, not wanting to burden himself with the extra weight as he honed his skills with the dark lance. The ancient weapon was difficult to handle – it didn't move like a sword. Strikes were swift with Vanargand but slow with the lance.

From his experience, Lucian surmised that Jormungandr was meant to be a mid-ranged weapon built for piercing through thick armor and hide. Fighting multiple foes and close-combat were out of the question since it was far too cumbersome to swing the long shaft around quick enough.

He allowed Sheridan to examine it when they had returned to the mansion and quickly learned of the dark lance's hidden potential. Much like Vanargand, Jormungandr's true power was locked away.

It was a pain that he needed to search for a way to unlock his weapons' true forms but in the end, it would be very rewarding. Duke Dumas would never stand a chance against the Legendary Dark Swordsman.

Deep into the sewers the warriors traveled and they had yet to find their target. They searched every corner of each section they passed and found nothing resembling a ghost. Lucian had grown irritably frustrated with the search while Aaron, having exerted so much of his energy due to Dragoon, had worn himself out.

Lagging behind and resorting only on his smaller Knight (having left all his other guns behind), Aaron followed behind the swordsman, shivering from the frigid air. It felt colder the deeper they went, probably due to the Frigid Climate.

After effortlessly defeating two Lizardmen single-handedly, the older boy muttered his annoyance: "There's no damn ghost anywhere. This is becoming a big waste of time!"

_Well, not exactly a big waste_… Lucian broke off a few pieces of armour from one of the dead reptiles and placed them in his satchel. The adamant in their armour was exactly what the old man, Sheridan, needed for alchemy.

"We haven't searched every room yet, you know," Aaron pointed out with a sigh. Lucian, in return, gave him a scowl. "There's still the room where we fought the Poes and…" The boy visibly tensed, his eyes growing wide. He suddenly thrust his hand forward, pointing at something behind the swordsman. "L-Lucian! Look!"

The older warrior sharply turned around, gripping the shaft of his lance tightly, prepared for any oncoming attack. What he saw was a big disappointment: a Frost Ghoul. Lucian was a little surprised that he did not see it standing on the path that connected the two separate platforms before. He didn't even hear it crawl out of the ground.

Lucian bared his teeth and narrowed his eyes at the monster. There was something different about the fiend compared to the other ghouls they've encountered.

For one, the Frost Ghoul simply stood in place, not bothering to attack. Secondly, normally ghouls had empty black sockets for eyes but the monster before him had hollowed eyes that glowed a deep blue. It was staring at the swordsman, its cold, eerie gaze was unnatural and disturbing.

What was most unnerving about the monster was its shadow. It disregarded the direction of the many sewer lights, casting instead one complete shadow instead of many. The shadow itself was not in the shape of the ghoul's body but of something else – something much larger that the undead zombie.

It was definitely not an ordinary Frost Ghoul.

There were strange crackling sounds coming from the monster. "Lucian," Nero hissed in the swordsman's ear, "Everything is freezing around it. Look at the water!"

Lucian spotted chunks of ice rapidly forming on the surface of the dark waters right below the pathway the monster stood on. It wasn't just the water that was freezing but the metal floor around the undead beast as well. Ice was slowly spreading around its frozen feet, covering the walkway with a shimmering blue layer.

"Do not draw near it!" the Dark Terrennial warned both warriors, but mostly to Lucian. "This creature is capable of freezing anything around it in a matter of seconds."

"It's not an ordinary ghoul either," Toasty needlessly added. "I sense an abnormal power from it."

Aaron soundly snorted. "Oh? You think?" the Guild member uttered sarcastically, his voice shaking, either from the cold or from the ghastly sight of the unholy monster.

Lucian hoped to believe that it wasn't the latter.

"Look at its shadow. It's obvious not its own," said the Dark Swordsman as he watched the black form carefully. It was moving despite the ghoul standing perfectly still. Lucian soon figured it out. "It's possessed! Aaron, take it down! We found that stupid ghost!"

"Oh! R-Right!" the younger boy quickly replied. "Ursula!" The Flame Terrenial instantly powered the boy's Solar Gun. Countless Flame bullets were sent flying directly at the standing ghoul.

The frozen monster took all the hits and unexpectedly disintegrated into a pile of half-frozen, half-burnt remains. It was as weak as a normal ghoul.

But it was not over yet. The black shadow suddenly emerged from the floor where the undead ghoul once stood. Large, globular and ending with a wispy tail, the shadow _was_ the ghost they were searching for.

Lucian hesitated. Aaron did not even move.

The ghost's pair of eyes… they were round, white and distantly empty. Its haunting gaze was capable of sending shivers down the Dark Swordsman's spine.

It then made a horrid sound, completely freezing Lucian in place. Its deep, resounding howl sounded like the blowing wind in a long tunnel.

A haunting cry, it made the area around them seem colder than before.

The specter continued to howl as it glided backwards, never taking its frightening stare away from the unmoving warriors.

When it vanished through a wall, everything became silent save for the flowing waters and the hum of the underground generators.

Lucian exhaled his breath, never realizing he was holding it. Cold sweat covered his body and his heart was racing with anxiety. He was shaken by the ghost's presence – he had never felt like that before.

No monster, not even the Vampires, have ever made him tremble with fear.

A familiar weight rested on his left shoulder and he noticed Nero's worried frown. Lucian sighed heavily and brushed a hand through his purple hair, regaining his composure. He gave the winged cat a slight nod, indicating he was all right.

He turned to Aaron, seeing the pale, shivering boy quietly listening to his Light Terrennial. Wide blue eyes blinked when they met Lucian's. The gunslinger straightened and forced a smile. "Th-that ghost… Man, it's… It's scary!" he stammered, rubbing his arms to keep warm.

The older boy slightly frowned and glanced back at the wall where the spirit disappeared. "It's unlike anything I've encountered," Lucian muttered in truth, keeping his voice steady.

"It wields the power of ice," Ezra spoke up as she appeared before the warriors. "However, its power differs from that of mine."

"Different? How?" Aaron inquired, sounding quite uneasy.

The winter fox lightly shook her head. "It feels… ancient. Like the power of old. Nero," her eyes fell on the Dark Terrennial, "were you able to sense anything?"

Nero took flight so he could face both Lucian and Aaron. "The darkness? It was very weak – I hardly noticed it before it escaped."

Hearing that troubled Lucian. If the ghost possessed some sort of dark power then was it possibly a spirit of a long-forgotten Vampire?

It was Aaron who first voiced his concern, relaying the exact thoughts of the older warrior; "Do you think it could be a Vampire?"

Both Ezra and Nero shook their heads. "Although it may be possible," Ezra began, "but I doubt it is a Vampire's spirit."

"An ancient creature, perhaps," Nero suggested, his red eyes narrowing at the ice that covered the floor. "Dark beasts once roamed the lands ages ago before they were slain by warriors of light."

"Hmph," Lucian snorted, not wanting to dawdle any longer. "It's no use standing and talking about it," he muttered, crossing over the frozen pathway and passing the remains of the ghoul. "Why not find out ourselves?"

Aaron quickly caught in step behind the other. "It passed through the wall so there must be another room on the other side we might have missed when we first came here," he informed.

It didn't take long to find out that the younger boy was right. Across the next platform, they discovered a gaping hole in the wall. Judging by the burnt marks and rubble, it was obvious that someone or something had blasted it open.

"Oh yeah, this was definitely not here before." The gunslinger peered into the large hole.

On the other side was a dimly lit tunnel. Chilly wind blew through, generating a sound similar to the ghost's wail. Aaron frowned at the wind, his teeth chattering and his body shaking.

Lucian smirked. "Are you still scared?" he asked, his tone low and mocking.

Pouting, Aaron put on a brave face and glowered at the Dark Swordsman. "N-No! Not at a-all!" he hastily cried in protest. "It's just so cold! Why'd you have to change the climate?"

"So it wouldn't reek so much in this filthy place."

Aaron snorted in response but then his expression became smug. "Are _you_ still scared?" he shot back, his tone matching that of Lucian's.

The swordsman glared dangerously at the other, making the boy nervously shrink back. Did the brat notice Lucian's display of weakness when the ghost appeared? "Don't be ridiculous," the dark warrior growled, turning away from the grinning whelp. He entered the tunnel with Jormungandr propped above his right shoulder and added, "I don't get scared like you, kid."

* * *

It got noticeably colder when they entered the room at the end of the dark, abandoned tunnel and the reason why was probably because _everything_ was covered in blue-white ice. It was truly an amazing spectacle under the few still functioning lights in the ceiling.

Appalling as well. There were frozen bodies of monsters, some lay dead while others were statues caught in time. Even the ice-based creatures such as the Frost Ghouls were encased in solid ice. Seeing such a scene, made Aaron gulp with worry – it was the ghost that froze everything in place. The same fate of the monsters could fall on Aaron and Lucian if they weren't strong enough to take it down.

Aaron had to assure himself that he would not fall victim to the ghost's power. He was scared when he saw the haunting spirit; there was no doubt about that. Lucian was too – Aaron had seen the other boy shudder when the black spirit released its terrifying howl.

Lucian could deny it all he wanted but Aaron would always know the truth. Aaron kept silent about it, knowing that the Dark Swordsman hated to portray any signs of weakness around anyone. (But it wouldn't hurt to poke fun at him from time to time once they finish their mission.)

The floor was slick and hazardous; Aaron slipped and banged his knee when he didn't caution his steps when they entered a dark, nearly sightless room.

Adding to his misery was the decreasing temperature.

Sniffling his running nose, the solar warrior was clutching Knight close to his body to stay warm in the freezing sewers. Ursula's power fortunately heated the barrel, keeping the boy's hands and chest a little warmer. But still, it was so _cold_! Aaron would have brought some thicker clothes if he had known they were going to pursue a powerful ice spirit.

He adjusted his red shawl so it covered his mouth and nose.

Breathing heavily through the cover, the boy carefully followed the older warrior through the shadows, hoping that the ghost was not lingering in the same room. After hearing Nero announce the room to be empty, Aaron let out a sigh of relief.

The next section they entered was a small, thankfully lit room that resembled just like the others – covered in ice. It differed by the presence of a dark, endless pit waiting below an overhanging platform.

There was some sort of mechanism stationed near the center of the platform – one that greatly resembled the machine that controlled the elevator platform back in Rymer's Mansion.

"Hey, is this…?" Aaron examined the large center tile of the floor. He squinted through the layer of ice, recognizing the familiar shape and design. "It's an elevator. The ghost must've come from down there."

He heard Lucian snarl behind him. The older boy was fuming at the frozen controls, trying to move one of the levers but to no avail. "Damn thing's frozen," he hissed. "Ursula, can you heat this up?"

At the sound of his name, the Flame Terrennial appeared. "Of course! Leave it to me!"

Ursula floated near the control panel and started to glow a bright orange. Steam surrounded the Terrennial followed by waves of visible heat.

Aaron smiled at the warmth, glad to finally be rid of the cold biting his skin. The ice covering the controls melted fast as did the frozen layers around the area. Water pooled on the floor and dripped off the edge into the abyss.

Once finished, Ursula returned to Aaron's Knight even though the boy was in no longer desperate for heat.

Lucian pulled the same lever he attempted to move before, looking rather satisfied when the panel came to life. Pushing in a few commands, the Dark Swordsman nodded at the other warrior as something mechanical groaned beneath them. The elevator platform rose slightly from the floor, breaking the weakened ice that still remained.

"Let's go," Lucian ordered, his red eye gleaming with murderous intent. "We have a damn ghost to hunt."

* * *

A/N: In the game you don't actually get to do a ghost hunt mission in the sewers. After someone had suggested using one of the bosses from the past Boktai games in the form of a ghost, it gave me this idea so I hope you liked the change! Can you guys figure out who the boss is? It'll be revealed in the next chapter!

I apologize for any inaccuracies in both the sewer details and the characterization of Ursula - I haven't played Lunar Knights in a long, long time. I'm writing mostly everything based off of my memory and from the maps and information on Gamefaqs.

Well, Thank you all for reading. I hoped you all enjoyed it! If anyone has a suggestion for the last guardian - one to guard the Bomber - I'd love to hear it!


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